Display rack



April 1, 1930. W. T. HORJMES 1,752,595

DISPLAY RACK Filed Aug. 23, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 1, 1936. W. T. HORMES 1,752,595

DISPLAY RACK Filed Aug. 25, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I I I 7 J 19 .2126

52,2 Mfi/ 4 .9 10 a6 r F" Patented Apr. 1, 1930 UNITED STATES WILLIAM T. HORMES, F BALTIMORE, MARYLAND DISPLAY RACK Application filed August 23, 1928. Serial No. 301,637.

This invention is a device for supporting garments or the like for display purposes, and relates more particularly to the type of display racks in which the supporting member is mounted to move into and out of a display cabinet.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a display rack having means for preventing rotation of the garment-carrying member while it is Within the confines of the case or cabinet, and during travel toward and from its position within said case or cabinet, and permitting free rotation of the rack while it is at the extreme of its withdrawal movement. A further object is to provide means for preventing reciprocation of the rack unless the garment supporting bars are properly aligned for entry into the case or cabinet. A further object is topro- 2 vide a reciprocably supported carriage so supported that it may be moved backward and forward with respect to said case or cabinet with a minimum of effort. A further object is to provide means for supporting the carriage in such manner that it will not be thrown out of alignment by stresses which may be caused by une ual distribution of weight supported there y, so that ease of operation is assured.

The invention will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed outin the claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating a display rack constructed in accordance with the invention. Figures 2 and 3 are bottom plan views illustrating the different positions of the carriage. Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view. I

rectangular base, the sides of which are preferably constructed of channel bars 10 and the ends of angle bars 11, rigidly secured to the ends of the side bars in suitable manner. C designates a carriage. which is provided with an upright bearing 12, in which is rotatably mounted a shaft 13, provided with a suitablerack 14 for supporting garments or any other articles, in a manner well understood in the-art. v Said carriage consists of a Referring to the drawings, B designates a top plate 15, which is bolted or otherwise secured to side bars 16, which are preferably constructed of angle bars, the ends of which are rigidly connected by angle bars 17. The angle bars 17 are so positioned that they will move beneath the angle bars 11 of the base B, at either extreme of the reciprocable movement of said carriage C.

Extending transversely of said carriage are axles 18, which are provided at their ends with rollers 19 positioned to travel along the lowermost angle of the side bars 10 of the frame B. It will be observed that the carriage C is free to travel over the axles 18, and that the travel of said axles is limited by means of slots 21 formed in the side bars 16, the wheels 19 being located in planes outside of the vertical flanges of said side bars. Lateral movement of the carriage C with respect to said axles is prevented by means of flanges 23 spaced from the rollers and engaging the side bars 16. By this arrangement, the carriage may be reciprocated with a minimum of friction, the distance which the carriage is permitted to travel in either direction being limited by suitable stops (not shown), so that at the limit of movement of the carriage in either direction, said axles will be positioned at their limit of movement in the corresponding direction in the slots 21.

For the purpose of furnishing a more substantial bearing than that provided by the edges of the slots 21, bearing members 22 are secured to side bars 16 in suitable manner so that they will rest upon the axles.

Secured to the lower end of the shaft 13 is a disk 25 provided with diametrically disposed peripheral notches 26, two of such notches being shown. Pivoted to the underside of the top plate 15 is a locking lever 27, the forward end 28 of which extends beyond the disk 25 and is connected with. one end of a spring 29, the other end of which is suitably anchored to said plate 15. Said lever is provided with spaced apart flanges 30 adapted to straddle the disk 25, and having mounted therein a locking member, shown as consisting of a roller 31 positioned to engage either of the notches 26. The spring 29 normally acts to hold said lever wth the roller 31 in locking engagement with one of said notches.

Extending longitudinally of the base B is a locking bar D, which is provided'with a r1b 32 having a smaller notch 33 and a larger notch 34 cut therein, the last mentioned notch being located adjacent to the outermost limit of reciprocation of the carriage C. Said bar D is so ositioned that it will lie beneath the plane 0 the top plate 15 of the carriage. The lever 27 is provided with a curved extension 35 which extends over the upper edge of the.

bar D, and is provided with a control member, shown as consisting of a roller 36 which normally bears against that face of the bar D which lies furthest away from the disk 25. Said lever is also provided with a second roller 37 concentric with the pivotal axis of said lever, the last mentioned roller engaging that face of the bar D which is nearest to the disk 25.

In practice, the base 10 may be anchored within a cabinet in suitable manner as by means of the ears 38. T o prevent lateral displacement of the carriage when the shaft 13 is subjected to unequal strains due to a lack of uniform distribution of the load upon the rack, rollers 39 are mounted on carriage C so as to bear against the upper flanges of the bars 10. Rollers 40 are also mounted on horizontal axes at the corners of the carriage. and so positioned that they will bear against the undersides of said upper flanges and prevent longitudinal tilting of the carriage. I

In operation, when the carriage is in its rearmost position, with the rack located within a case or cabinet in a manner well understood in the art, the roller 31 is in engagement with one of the notches 26 and movement of the lever 27 is prevented by reason of the engagement of the roller 36 at the other end of the lever with the adjacent side of the lockbar D. lVhile the parts are in this position, the shaft 13 and the rack carried thereby are positively locked against rotative movement. This condition is maintained not only while the rack is within the case or cabinet, but also during reciprocation of the carriage C between its rearward position within the case or cabinet to the outermost limit of move ment. \Vhen any strain or pressure is applied to the lock bar D by reason of an attempt to rotate the shaft 13 while the parts are in the positions illustrated in Figure 2, any tendency of said bar D to yield due to its length, is prevented by the roller 37 bein in continuous engagement therewith. S aid roller 37 therefore, acts as a non-frictional reenforcing member for said lock bar D. when said outermost limit of movement of the carriage is reached, the roller 36 carried by the offset end 35 of the lever 27 will register with the cut-away portion 33. Thereupon, when the shaft 13 is rotated, the clear ance thereby provided by the said cut-away portion 33 will allow the roller 31 to ride out of the notch 36 as the disk 25 is rotated, thereby permitting rotation of the rack for any desired or necessary purpose. The spring 29 acts to maintain the roller 31 yieldably in contact with the periphery of the disk 25 and just as soon as one of the notches 26 comes in register withthe roller 31, the lever is moved under the influence of said spring so as to engage said notch. As long as the roller 36 is in register with the cut-away portion 33 there will be no difliculty in rotating the shaft 13 and the parts carried thereby. As long as the roller 31 is out of engagement with either of the notches 26, the carriage is locked against return movement because the said roller 36 lies within the notch 33, and thereby serves as a lock to prevent return movement of the carriage C until the rack carried thereby is in proper alignment with the case or cabinet, Within which it is normally located. Just as soon, however, as the roller 31 is brought into engagement with one of the notches 26, the roller 36 assumes its original position with respect to the bar D, i. e'. out of engagement with the cut-away portion 33, and the carriage may then be returned to its rearmost position. During such movement, and in fact until it is withdrawn to its outermost position again, the roller 36 cooperating with the bar D, positively locks the disk so that rotation of the shaft 13 is prevented.

The advantages of the invention will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which it belongs. An important advantage is that a very simple and inexpensive locking means is provided, by means of which the rack is positively held against rotative movement at all times that it is within its case or cabinet and during travel into and out of said cabinet. In addition, a very simple and eflicient means is provided to release the rack for rotative movement when it reaches the outermost limit of its reciprocable movement, and while the rack is in said outermost position it is positively held against reciprocative movement.

Having thus explained the nature of the invention and described an operative manner of constructing and using the same, although without attempting to set: forth all of the forms in which it may be made, or all of the forms of its use, what is claimed is 1. A display rack of the character described comprising a reciprocably mounted carriage, a rotatable rack supporting shaft carried thereby, a notched locking disk rotat able with said shaft, a rigidly supported control bar extending parallel with the line of reciprocation of said carriage, a lever pivotally supported by said carriage, a roller concentric with the pivot of said lever and engaging said control bar, a controlmember on one end of said lever also engaging said control bar, a locking member carried by said lever, means for yieldably holding said looking member in engagement with the periphery of said disk so that it will enter either notch thereof when in register therewith to prevent rotation of said shaft, said control bar having cutaway portions located in predetermined positions with respect to the movement of the carriage, so that while said locking member and said control member are in register with said cut-out portions, said lever may be rocked by rotating said disk, said lever being held against pivotal movement at all other times by said control member.

2. A display rack of the character described comprising a reciprocably mounted carriage, a rotatable rack supporting shaft carried thereby, a notched locating disk rotatable with said shaft, a rigidly supported control bar extending parallel with the line of reciprocation of said carriage, a lever pivotally supported by said carriage, a roller concentric with the pivot of said lever and engaging one side of said control bar, a control roller on one end of said lever engaging the opposite side of said control bar, a locking member carried by said lever, means for yieldably holding the locking member in engagement with the periphery of said disk so that it will enter either notch thereof when in register therewith to prevent rotation of the shaft, said control bar having locking portions located in predetermined positions with respect to the movement of the carriage so that while said locking member is out of register with the locking portions of said disk, the said locking member and said control roller will cooperate with said bar to lock said carriage against reciprocation.

3. A display rack of the character clescribed comprising a reciprocably mounted carriage, a rotatable rack supporting shaft carried thereby, a notched locking disk rotatable with said shaft, a rigidly supported control bar extending parallel with the line of reciprocation of said carriage, a lever pivotally supported by said carriage, a roller concentric with the pivot of said lever and engaging said control bar, a control member on one end of said lever engaging the other side of said control bar, a locking roller mounted on said lever and positioned to register with the notches of said disk, a spring engaging the other end of said roller and normally acting to maintain the locking member in engagement with the periphery of said disk, said control bar having cut-away portions located in a position adjacent the outer extreme of the movement of the carriage, so that while said locking roller and said control member are in register with said cut-out portions, said lever may be rocked by rotation of said disk in opposition to the tension of said spring, said lever being held against pivotal movement at all other times by said control member.

4. A display rack of the character described comprising a reciprocably mounted carriage, a rotatable rack-supporting shaft carried thereby, a notched locking disk rotatable with said shaft, a rigidly supported control bar extending parallel with the line of reciprocation of said carriage, a lever pivotally supported by said carriage, a roller concentric with the pivot of said lever and engaging one side of said control bar, a control roller at one end of said lever engaging the other side of said control bar, flanges on said locking lever positioned to receive said disk between them, a locking roller between said flanges positioned to engage the periphery of said disk, and means for yieldably holding said locking roller in engagement with the periphery of said disk so that it will enter either notch thereof when in register therewith and thereby prevent rotation of said shaft, said control bar having cut-away portions located in predetermined positions with respect to the movement of said carriage so that while said locking roller and said control roller are in register with said outout portions the lever may be rocked in opposition to the tension of its spring.

5. A display rack of the character described comprising a reciprocably mounted carriage, a rotatable rack supporting shaft carried thereby, a notched locking disk rotatable with said shaft, a rigidly supported control bar extending parallel with the line of reciprocation of said carriage, a lever pivotally supported by said carriage and having an offset end, a locking member carried by said lever and positioned to engage the periphery of said disk, a spring acting on said lever to maintain engagement between said disk and said locking member, a roller concentric with the pivot of said lever and engaging one side of said control bar, a control roller mounted on the offset end of said lever and engaging the other side of said control bar, said lever being normally in a plane above the plane of said control bar, said control bar having cut-away portions located in predetermined positions with respect to the movement of the carriage and with respect to each other, so that while said locking member and said control roller are in register with said cut-away portions the lever may be rocked against the tension of its spring by rotation of said disk.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM T. HOB-MES. 

